Data system employing wallet-size optical card

• US 4,680,456 A
• Filed: 08/06/1985
• Issued: 07/14/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1981
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LaserCard Corp. (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Drexler Technology Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Drexler, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US06/763,028
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 235/468, 235/487, 235/454, 346/76 L, 283/76, 283/93, 283/901, 430/10, 430/13, 369/109
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/12 otherwise than by punching
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/14 the marking being sensed by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/25 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/0033 with cards or other card-like flat carriers, e.g. flat sheets of optical film
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24 Record carriers characterised by shape, structure or physical properties, or by the selection of the material characterised by the arrangement of information on the carrier G11B7/007
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/24085 Pits
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 7/26 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of record carriers

Abstract

A data card having an optical, high resolution erasable or non-erasable laser recording material adhering to it. The strip of laser recording material has a capacity for recording at least 250,000 data bits represented by optically contrasting spots having a dimension of less than 25 microns. The optical contrast of the spots with respect to the surrounding field is at least two to one. The strip may have a preinscribed formatting pattern for positioning, timing, programming and related functions.

Claims

1. A system for sequentially recording transaction data by means of a laser comprising,

a wallet size card with a transparent plastic laminating material protectively bonded to a strip of erasable high resolution direct-read-after-write optically reflective read laser recording material adhered to one side of the card, being laser recordable in place on said card and having a minimal laser recording capacity of 250,000 binary bits, having laser created data spots in a surrounding optically contrasting field of said strip, representing accumulated transaction data, with a dimension of said spots being less than 25 microns, the optical reflective contrast ratio of said spots with respect to the surrounding field being at least two to one,

laser means having a beam disposed in laser writing relation with respect to said strip for writing said spots, representing transaction data, the spots having a size of less than 25 microns,

a light detector means disposed in reading relation with respect to said strip for reading said spots, and

means for providing relative motion between the laser beams and the card for reading transaction data on the card and sequentially writing transaction data onto said card.